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A group of public health practitioners has recently gathered in Abuja / Nigeria upon an initiative of USAID to discuss the practice of female genital mutilation in Nigeria, All Africa reports. The commission published a communiqué urging the relevant stakeholders such as policymakers, religious leaders, women’s groups and NGOs to contribute to the education about the adverse effects of FGM on a woman’s physical and psychological health.

Dr. Sa’ad Idris, a state health commissioner summed up the motivation behind the practice as the “male desire to have control over female body and sexuality”, explaining that female relatives of the husband-to-be often “inspect” a woman prior to the wedding to check her virginity. Dr. Idris argued that it is widely believed that FGM “would reduce a woman’s desire for sex, thereby preventing infidelity, promiscuity and lesbianism.”

The commission emphasized the wide range of negative effects FGM has on the victim’s health, such as difficulty passing urine, persistent urinary tract infections and kidney infections, difficulties with menstruation, possible infertility and the possibility of infection with HIV. Furthermore, FGM greatly increases the risk of complications during pregnancy and during as well as after childbirth.

Grace Akpabio, another participant of the meeting pointed out that “Most women in Nigeria are unaware of their basic human rights and do not see the practice of FGM as an infringement on their human rights”. Raising awareness on the dangers of and motivation behind the practice is thus crucial in the fight against FGM.